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That is pretty much a full day trip. If you take a ferry across from Seattle to Bainbridge Island it will cut a little off but from there it is about two hours to Port Angeles and then it is a long drive down the west side of the peninsula and if you take your time it can actually take more than a day.
And if you go to Neah Bay that is also at least a two hour drive from Highway 101 just one way. The actaully rain forest has a park entrance and an area to explore the rain forest a bit. There are also many roads and trails leading into the mountains at different points.
Near Port Angeles is Hurricane Ridge. Past Port Angeles just a bit is a park entrance that eventually leads to a trail with hot springs and camping.
There are trails around lake Quinault and many more places that I personally have not explored.
Hope that helps.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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That is pretty much a full day trip. If you take a ferry across from Seattle to Bainbridge Island it will cut a little off but from there it is about two hours to Port Angeles and then it is a long drive down the west side of the peninsula and if you take your time it can actually take more than a day.
And if you go to Neah Bay that is also at least a two hour drive from Highway 101 just one way. The actaully rain forest has a park entrance and an area to explore the rain forest a bit. There are also many roads and trails leading into the mountains at different points.
Near Port Angeles is Hurricane Ridge. Past Port Angeles just a bit is a park entrance that eventually leads to a trail with hot springs and camping.
There are trails around lake Quinault and many more places that I personally have not explored.
Hope that helps.
The trails near Lake Quinault are gorgeous - haven't been since the early 90s, but really cool.
Of course, they're pretty much on the exact opposite side of the Olympic Mountains from Seattle, so no joy on a shortcut.
Fun geography trivia: Washington is supposedly the only place on earth with a rain forest and desert within 200 miles of each other.
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I agree with Meepo. Seattle is doable in a day. The Olympic National Park is certainly a whole day or longer excursion and even with a whole day you will feeel like you did not do it justice.
I think if you want to do something in the Mountains in day I would do Mount Rainier and or Mount St Helens rather than attempt the Olympics.
(BTW - Olympia is a town south of Seattle - the Olympics are the Mountains west of Seattle).
PAIZOCON 2009 kicks off at noon on Friday, though we'll open our booth and ticket counter at 9:00 A.M.
Fair warning, the Hood Canal Bridge closed May 1st for 6 weeks so it should still be closed on June 11. The Hood Canal Bridge is what connects Kitsap County (where Bremerton is) and Jefferson County (Where the forest is) so taking the Seattle to Bremerton ferry would actually make for a longer trip instead of a shorter one.
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So now the options to go to the Olympic Peninsula are:
1. Drive down to Olympia - Exit 104 and take Highway 101 toward Shelton and then all the way north to Port Angeles - alternatively you could go all the way out to Aberdeen and grab 101 North and drive up the coast.
2. Drive to Everett to the Mulkiteo (sp) Ferry to Whidby Island and then across to Keystone to another Ferry to Port Townsend and then drive to Port Angeles.
3. Drive to North on I-5 to Highway 20 west out to Whidby Island and eventually Keystone and then the Ferry to Port Townsend.
All of these are going to be very long trips. The Keystone Ferry often gets very full and does not run very often - maybe hourly. I have sat in that line for 2 or 3 ferrys to run. And it is going to be way worse with the Hood Canal Bridge closed down.
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If you left Seattle at 3am depending on what you mean by the park. You would not be there at 5am. More likely about 8 am or 9 am - if you want to go to the rain forest park area. Of course the park parts of the Olympic National Forest do not open until later in the morning than 5 am.
Sounds like your really want to do this. If you leave at some very early time like 3 am and really want to go to the rain forest I would drive out to Aberdeen and then north to the park on Highway 101. The funny thing about this route is there are a few places where you can see the ocean but not many. You do not really drive right along the coast but a couple of miles inland.
Then when you are done at the park your choice is to backtrack or drive around the Peninsula which is a long drive but you do get to drive through Forks... ;)
Then when you are done at the park your choice is to backtrack or drive around the Peninsula which is a long drive but you do get to drive through Forks... ;)
I think you mean HAVE to drive through Forks. Driving through Forks is punishment for shoplifting in some countries.
If you leave at some very early time like 3 am and really want to go to the rain forest I would drive out to Aberdeen and then north to the park on Highway 101. The funny thing about this route is there are a few places where you can see the ocean but not many.
If you do want to see the outer coast (if you push it and there's no traffic) it's about a three hour drive from Seattle to Ocean Shores. If you Mapquest that, it should give you an idea about where you'll be and where you can get within any given time.
Seriously, I think you need to curb back your enthusiasm. You CAN loop around the peninsula, but you're going to spend 95-98% of your time in a car watching out for deer and making sure you're on the correct road. If you want to go to the peninsula, pick a spot you want to go, and plan to spend an hour or two there - maybe even overnight and book it back to Bellevue early in the AM.
Seattle has plenty of great, fun, short touristy things to do downtown. If you're into tacky, I can't recommend this enough:
http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/
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Then when you are done at the park your choice is to backtrack or drive around the Peninsula which is a long drive but you do get to drive through Forks... ;)I think you mean HAVE to drive through Forks. Driving through Forks is punishment for shoplifting in some countries.
Well it is the punishment for many things I have been forced there many times over the past few years...
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If you do want to see the outer coast (if you push it and there's no traffic) it's about a three hour drive from Seattle to Ocean Shores. If you Mapquest that, it should give you an idea about where you'll be and where you can get within any given time.
Yes, three hours to Ocean Shores and probably closer to four in my opinion from Seattle but then it is still a few hours to the rainforest from there. It really is a long drive. No matter how you cut it this trip is at least a full day trip and maybe a bit more depending on how you drive and what you want to stop for. All these times are really without stopping any place.
I also agree that you will spend the majority of your time driving a lot of it most likely in the rain watching out for deer. This is an area with a rain forest...
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If you are looking for mountains I again suggest Mount Rainier. It is still a drive but from Seattle you can be on the Mountain in a couple of hours and it is not necessarily a full day thing depending on how much time you take. You will probably have more company on that trip.
You could just drive up into the moutains on Highway 2 and find a place that is serene. There are also a lot of state parks closer to Seattle that are nice. Some along the Puget Sound.
I want a peaceful happy tree place where I won't hear any cars from behind me. Know such a place?
I would recommend Tiger Mountain. It's off of Exit 20 on I-90, and withing a half an hour of hiking, you shouldn't really hear the interstate anymore. It's got a great selection of trails and a lot of elevation in a short time if you go the right way. Some nice views as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Mountain
The first time my wife and I went there, we got lost (but still made it back to our car safely and with daylight). I can't think of any convenient places to pick up a trail map, so you might want to take a picture of the trail system at the trail head (if your digital camera has a good zoom feature on the screen), or sketch it out on a piece of paper.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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If you leave at some very early time like 3 am and really want to go to the rain forest I would drive out to Aberdeen and then north to the park on Highway 101. The funny thing about this route is there are a few places where you can see the ocean but not many.If you do want to see the outer coast (if you push it and there's no traffic) it's about a three hour drive from Seattle to Ocean Shores. If you Mapquest that, it should give you an idea about where you'll be and where you can get within any given time.
Seriously, I think you need to curb back your enthusiasm. You CAN loop around the peninsula, but you're going to spend 95-98% of your time in a car watching out for deer and making sure you're on the correct road. If you want to go to the peninsula, pick a spot you want to go, and plan to spend an hour or two there - maybe even overnight and book it back to Bellevue early in the AM.
Seattle has plenty of great, fun, short touristy things to do downtown. If you're into tacky, I can't recommend this enough:
http://www.ridetheducksofseattle.com/
I was in Boston last year and rode the duck tour, and actually I think it's an excellent way to see all the main highlights of the city. Is it touristy? Sure. But guess what: You *ARE* a tourist. In an hour-long tour you'll get a good close-up view of most of the hot spots, and if you have a map and/or a good sense of direction you can get a sense for what things you might want to go back and take a closer look at later on.
If you're choosing between the peninsula and Ocean Shores, go with the peninsula. I've spent a lot of time in the Ocean Shores area, and while it can be alright in the summer, it's just flat sand, waves, and tourists. The peninsula, on the other hand, is filled with rainforest and mountains. Far preferable.
That said, you don't have to get to the peninsula in order to find awesome forests and mountains - this is Washington, after all. It's much easier to simply drive east on I-90 for 45 minutes until you're in the middle of the mountains (seriously, the Cascades are RIGHT HERE), then pick some local and forest service roads at random and go cruising. I spent much of my youth driving aimlessly around the back roads of North Bend, Fall City, Cle Elum, etc., and I highly recommend it. And if you add in an extra hour, you can cross the pass and come out on the other side, which'll let you see eastern WA as well (which is a totally different ecosystem).
Good luck!
I want a peaceful happy tree place where I won't hear any cars from behind me. Know such a place?I would recommend Tiger Mountain. It's off of Exit 20 on I-90, and withing a half an hour of hiking, you shouldn't really hear the interstate anymore. It's got a great selection of trails and a lot of elevation in a short time if you go the right way. Some nice views as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Mountain
The first time my wife and I went there, we got lost (but still made it back to our car safely and with daylight). I can't think of any convenient places to pick up a trail map, so you might want to take a picture of the trail system at the trail head (if your digital camera has a good zoom feature on the screen), or sketch it out on a piece of paper.
Yeah, Tiger Mountain is really close, as is Squawk Mountain, Rattlesnake Mountain, Mount Si, Snoqualamie Falls... there's really not much of a reason to drive a long way unless you've exhausted all the local hikes. All of those are quick and easy to get to (we're talking 40 minutes from the convention site), with hikes and vistas that are unbelievable.
Wayfinder, PaizoCon Founder
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A few links for you Zux:
here
and here
and here(dogs optional)
or search here
From looking, Twin Falls at Olallie State park, Squak Mountain, or even Wallace Falls are doable.
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If you want a hike that's quick and easy to get to, I would recommend you head out I-90 to the High Point exit. From there you can hit the Tiger Mountain trails pretty easy. Lots of signage.
If you want something quick and easy take the trail around Tradition Lake that starts at the same spot. Nice and flat, easy for kids/dogs or folks who don't want to work too hard. :-)
http://www.pnwhikes.com/hike.asp?hid=Issaquah%20-%20High%20Point%20Trail
Poo-Poo Point is also a good one - 2 miles but pretty steep at the top. It's where the local paragliders head out from. Great views of Seattle and the sound in one direction and Mt. Rainier in the other. If it's a clear day make sure to bring your camera.
http://www.pnwhikes.com/hike.asp?hid=92
I live out this way so if you want other suggestions happy to pass them along.
Forks WA (and La Push and Port Angeles) are close to the Park, so anyone wanting to re-enact scenes from the "Twilight" series could do so and who knows, they might be filming part 3 and need an extra or two...
But seriously, The stretch of road along Lake Crescent was amazing! The lands around Forks were beautiful too, except for some fields of stumps from the lumber companies stripping out the woods.
I took the Bainbridge Ferry across from Seattle there in '02 and spent a half day hiking around the rainforests on the west side of the park. I cant remember where the actual parking lot was (looking on googlemaps I think it was Queets River Road).
Several places in those trees looked like an ewok or an ent would just saunter out and say hello.